College & drinking?
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I heard on the radio the other day that putting hard alcohol in a diet soda vs regular soda causes you to become intoxicated more quickly, something like the diet soda people tested were 18% more drunk that the regular soda people. Craziness.0
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If you are really planning to drink a lot then I suggest that you do not over restrict your eating. You still need the same amount of food and nutrition. And you will have a more fun time if you do not drink on an empty stomach. I understand that you want to get buzzed or drunk. Maintaining a slow and steady buzz is really what most people are looking for. Too much, too fast, is never actually fun. At least not for me. I guess I do have an extremely low tolerance for alcohol. If you do drink on an empty stomach you will be more likely to binge on food that night and have a hangover the next morning. Maybe set a weekly goal, so you can compensate for the drinking during the whole week and not just in one day.
You could plan in advance how many drinks you are going to have and then stick to that.0 -
I heard on the radio the other day that putting hard alcohol in a diet soda vs regular soda causes you to become intoxicated more quickly, something like the diet soda people tested were 18% more drunk that the regular soda people. Craziness.
Awesome! I'm so trying this :drinker:0 -
Back in college my drink was a vodka club with a twist of lime. Or beer. Or tequila shots.
Now that I'm old I drink wine.
Binary gives a great suggestion. Be sure to eat before you start drinking so that you don't chow down a whole pizza at 2am. Ahhhhh, the memories.
Have a blast your senior year. Enjoy it. You don't get to relive those moments.0 -
Hahaha, I actually dealt with this yesterday! I wanted to have a few margaritas, so I budgeted my calories for them. I ended up actually drinking more once I got started (as we all know tends to happen). I just kept myself honest and logged it. In my drunk stupor I got really upset about going over on calories, so I logged my exercise from the day, which I usually don't do because I don't like getting the extra calories. But it made me feel better. Today I'm going to make sure and eat less, and between that and the fact that I didn't log my exercise, I should be fine. Also, maybe try to cut back to every other weekend? I know how stressful it is, and I love booze, but I definitely have cut down the frequency. BONUS if you cut back on the frequency, you'll get drunk easier aka off less calories!
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Hi everyone
So, I've been on a good path of eating healthy and working out. The only thing is that after a long week of studying and school work, I need to go out and have drinks to relax and have fun (senior in college, drinking with roommates and going out to the bars, etc). Also-I've done MFP multiple times throughout college with success, but I cut out a lot of drinking during those times.
What is the healthiest way to go about this while also sticking to my plan? We usually pre game at our place and then go to the bars, so any drink suggestions for either would be great! And yes, I want to get buzzed/drunk doing so and no, I'm not going to completely cut out drinking, that will be after graduation haha.
Thanks!
(feel free to add me too!)
you don't NEED to go to a bar and drink. you want to.
i'm not saying you have to stay home and abstain from drinking. i like to have a drink or two myself. but a while back, i learned to not blow off steam like that.
make working out the way you relax. seriously, a good work out lets out all those good endorphins, and you can then go out and drink without any type of guilt or thinking "ugh, more time at the gym tomorrow."
and if you think you'll stop drinking when you finish college and fully enter the workforce, lol, good luck!
I graduated last May from college. You do need to go out and drink during school. And this *kitten* hat is wrong, it is easy to quit drinking when you get a job.
I've never tried it, but as recommended here the skinny girl brand is supposed to have less cals. Other than that stick to shots of normal liquor (no rumchada or fireball), light beer if that's your thing, don't drink too much and most importantly don't drunk eat a ton of calories which is super easy to do. Finally go dancing! Standing and talking are great calorie burners, but if you go dancing you could burn off a ton of the calories you are drinking!0 -
LOL, credible or not I am testing it this weekend! :drinker:I heard on the radio the other day that putting hard alcohol in a diet soda vs regular soda causes you to become intoxicated more quickly, something like the diet soda people tested were 18% more drunk that the regular soda people. Craziness.
Awesome! I'm so trying this :drinker:0 -
Hi everyone
So, I've been on a good path of eating healthy and working out. The only thing is that after a long week of studying and school work, I need to go out and have drinks to relax and have fun (senior in college, drinking with roommates and going out to the bars, etc). Also-I've done MFP multiple times throughout college with success, but I cut out a lot of drinking during those times.
What is the healthiest way to go about this while also sticking to my plan? We usually pre game at our place and then go to the bars, so any drink suggestions for either would be great! And yes, I want to get buzzed/drunk doing so and no, I'm not going to completely cut out drinking, that will be after graduation haha.
Thanks!
(feel free to add me too!)
you don't NEED to go to a bar and drink. you want to.
i'm not saying you have to stay home and abstain from drinking. i like to have a drink or two myself. but a while back, i learned to not blow off steam like that.
make working out the way you relax. seriously, a good work out lets out all those good endorphins, and you can then go out and drink without any type of guilt or thinking "ugh, more time at the gym tomorrow."
and if you think you'll stop drinking when you finish college and fully enter the workforce, lol, good luck!
I graduated last May from college. You do need to go out and drink during school. And this *kitten* hat is wrong, it is easy to quit drinking when you get a job.
I've never tried it, but as recommended here the skinny girl brand is supposed to have less cals. Other than that stick to shots of normal liquor (no rumchada or fireball), light beer if that's your thing, don't drink too much and most importantly don't drunk eat a ton of calories which is super easy to do. Finally go dancing! Standing and talking are great calorie burners, but if you go dancing you could burn off a ton of the calories you are drinking!
really dude?? where is the hostility coming from?0 -
For my money, gin/vodka and diet tonic or a pint of Guinness are your best bang for your (calorie) buck. If you can afford (or even locate, in a college town!) better bourbon, you can drink it on the rocks with a splash of water and pretend you're not dieting, you're just pretentious. Or just do a few widely-spaced shots through the evening, and nurse a beer in between.
Light beers are horrendous, and for me as a "grownup" not worth even considering, but I'm sure I probably drank worse in college. If you must, Sam Adams Light isn't all that bad. And I wouldn't turn down an evening of tequila shots and a couple of Corona Lights with a lime.
But whatever you do, DO NOT skimp on eating to save calories for drinking. You will regret it. Probably violently. (Don't ask how I know this.)
Personally, my downfall isn't so much the actual alcohol calories themselves, but the fact that after two or three drinks, those nachos or wings or pizza always sound like a much better idea than they did a couple of hours ago. If that's a problem for you, too, maybe you can steer the evening to include the wings or whatever early on, when your judgment is better. Then you can stash a bag of baked chips or something to bring along when everyone else wants to make the late-night food run. You'll still have that munchy craving, but you might be able to resist the worst of it if you have somewhere you can channel it.
I'm guessing you and your friends probably have a few favorite bars, so know what they stock and plan your drinking just like you do your meals. And if you're a regular, you can probably ask them to have a couple of bottles of diet tonic on hand for you if they don't normally carry it.
Drink safe, and have fun!0 -
Hi everyone
So, I've been on a good path of eating healthy and working out. The only thing is that after a long week of studying and school work, I need to go out and have drinks to relax and have fun (senior in college, drinking with roommates and going out to the bars, etc). Also-I've done MFP multiple times throughout college with success, but I cut out a lot of drinking during those times.
What is the healthiest way to go about this while also sticking to my plan? We usually pre game at our place and then go to the bars, so any drink suggestions for either would be great! And yes, I want to get buzzed/drunk doing so and no, I'm not going to completely cut out drinking, that will be after graduation haha.
Thanks!
(feel free to add me too!)
you don't NEED to go to a bar and drink. you want to.
i'm not saying you have to stay home and abstain from drinking. i like to have a drink or two myself. but a while back, i learned to not blow off steam like that.
make working out the way you relax. seriously, a good work out lets out all those good endorphins, and you can then go out and drink without any type of guilt or thinking "ugh, more time at the gym tomorrow."
and if you think you'll stop drinking when you finish college and fully enter the workforce, lol, good luck!
I graduated last May from college. You do need to go out and drink during school. And this *kitten* hat is wrong, it is easy to quit drinking when you get a job.
I've never tried it, but as recommended here the skinny girl brand is supposed to have less cals. Other than that stick to shots of normal liquor (no rumchada or fireball), light beer if that's your thing, don't drink too much and most importantly don't drunk eat a ton of calories which is super easy to do. Finally go dancing! Standing and talking are great calorie burners, but if you go dancing you could burn off a ton of the calories you are drinking!
Name-calling is so sophisticated and grown-up... twerp.
OP: work your drink nights into your calorie allotment, go for liquor with low-calorie mixers like soda water or diet (if you must) or white wine over crazy overpriced cocktails. Vodka-soda and gin-soda are my go-to's. And when I have had my fill, I switch to plain club soda with lime. Looks like a drink, and helps stave off the hangovers.0 -
I also agree with dancing. Also, you will be having fun and enjoying the night and then you will drink less and burn calories.0
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i agree with the dancing...i only drink when i know i can burn off some calories in the process...i have always been a vodka girl and thats a little lighter on the calories...however i normally mix it with diet sprite which bars never have!
so i found diet coke and rum work...plus i dont like the taste quite as much so i drink it slower...only have 2-4 instead of 6-8 like i was with the vodka lol! i feel your pain...no we dont "have " to drink but at this time in your life, for most people, it is going to happen and finding the best way to enjoy it/have fun without racking up the cals is important! good luck! dont forget to bust a move :P 0 -
If you are really planning to drink a lot then I suggest that you do not over restrict your eating. You still need the same amount of food and nutrition. And you will have a more fun time if you do not drink on an empty stomach. I understand that you want to get buzzed or drunk. Maintaining a slow and steady buzz is really what most people are looking for. Too much, too fast, is never actually fun. At least not for me. I guess I do have an extremely low tolerance for alcohol. If you do drink on an empty stomach you will be more likely to binge on food that night and have a hangover the next morning. Maybe set a weekly goal, so you can compensate for the drinking during the whole week and not just in one day.
You could plan in advance how many drinks you are going to have and then stick to that.
oh definitely! yeah i know how it is when you drink on an empty stomach, not fun. i definitely plan on eating normally throughout the day. thank you!!0 -
thank you to everyone who replied!!
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I agree! Alcohol is not my problem, but I like to eat everything except the kitchen sink afterwards. I just can't drink while I'm trying to lose weight or else it turns into a pizza delivered or some cheese-sticks at the restaurant!
But to answer the original post: wine, light beers (or Guinness), and liquor + club/diet/sugar-free mixers (or shots) will be your best bet. Some of the sweeter wines have more calories, so just be aware.
Good luck!0 -
What is the healthiest way to go about this while also sticking to my plan? We usually pre game at our place and then go to the bars, so any drink suggestions for either would be great! And yes, I want to get buzzed/drunk doing so and no, I'm not going to completely cut out drinking, that will be after graduation haha.
I never bothered to develop a taste for beer - too low in alcohol to give a decent buzz and seeing how some people get beer bellies, I am glad I didn't!
It took me a while to wean myself off the 1am kebab and next morning full fried breakfast hangover cure too.
I pre-load with vodka or white rum with diet soft drink.
Then I switch to diet soft drink or vodka shots with diet soft drinks in the biggest serving they have at the bar.
I have also been known to take hipflasks or water bottles of vodka with me.
When I go to house parties I take a bottle of champagne and a bottle of diet soft drink that looks exactly like champagne (yellow, bubbly, 15 cals in 1.5ltrs) and when I have drunk both bottles I stop drinking.
:drinker:0 -
I didn't get a chance to read all of the comments so this might have been suggested and I apologize if it was.. but I always drink a full glass of water between drinks. It definitely slows down your drinking and doesn't give you as bad of a hangover the next day!0
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As far as drink suggestions, stay away from "girly drinks" that have tons of sugar in them. Besides that, there's not that big of a difference between hard alcohol and beer. It's the actual alcohol that contains the calories.
Good advice generally in your post, but this is really, really wrong. Beer (particularly "crafty," "richer," or "colorful" beer), has a lot more calories per gram of alcohol compared to liquor. A double shot (in the US approx. 3 fl oz) of straight spirits like whiskey, vodka, rum, tequila, etc. will generally run about 200 cals; that's about the same cals as a pint of many beers - less than some and more than others. But the alcohol content of a double shot of spirits and a pint is pretty radically different, no?
OP - lots of good info and advice here already. Spirits are less cals but some folks don't like them. Spirits with low or no cal mixers good too. Wine has higher alcohol content than beer per calorie. Beer is perhaps the least alcohol-calories effective (other than the aforementioned mixed drinks with all sorts of sugar and calorie-rich mixers) but also so, so rewarding and tasty.
Pick out what works for you. Tracking and controlling calorie intake is important - or else you wouldn't be here on MFP, I guess. But it is not the end-all, be-all. Do what you can but don't forget to enjoy yourself.0 -
I never bothered to develop a taste for beer - too low in alcohol to give a decent buzz and seeing how some people get beer bellies, I am glad I didn't!
It took me a while to wean myself off the 1am kebab and next morning full fried breakfast hangover cure too.
I pre-load with vodka or white rum with diet soft drink.
Then I switch to diet soft drink or vodka shots with diet soft drinks in the biggest serving they have at the bar.
I have also been known to take hipflasks or water bottles of vodka with me.
When I go to house parties I take a bottle of champagne and a bottle of diet soft drink that looks exactly like champagne (yellow, bubbly, 15 cals in 1.5ltrs) and when I have drunk both bottles I stop drinking.
:drinker:
I think I love you, RonnieLodge. :drinker: So rational and realistic, and honest. Cheers to you!0 -
In my opinion, what's most important is to have something decent (at least calorie-wise) lined up to eat after or during your drinking session. I think the food that people tend to eat whilst or after drinking is what really blows the calories and contributes to weight gain over time. You know, the lack of thinking about your choices and the (often calorie-dense) takeaway food, etc.
I go out drinking every Saturday and it hasn't affected my 'quest' negatively at all. I just stick to spirits and diet mixers, mostly vodka and diet coke, keep a note of every drink on my mobile to log later, and don't eat until I get home. I always have a ready meal waiting in the freezer. I admit they're not the most nutritious of foods but they come to around only 500-600 calories, which is handy. I'm in Ireland, but I'm sure there's similar low-cal ready meals in the US. A generic 25ml of vodka and diet coke only comes to about 60 calories, and seeing as I'm (gladly!) such a lightweight I only need about six or seven of those before I can't take anymore. So a night out for me only adds about an extra 440 calories, which is easy to fit into your day. Just limit the drinking to about once or twice a week and you're good to go! :glasses:0
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